Anyone that has played a sports game like NHL 15 has undoubtedly been hit with the passing comment of, “Oh, you are playing a game. I thought you were watching it live.” I’ve always found this commentary to be somewhat silly. I clearly remember playing NHL 2K on the Dreamcast in my grandmother’s living room on Christmas day and her being astonished that were playing the hockey game instead of watching it. As much as I’ve played the games though, I’ve never felt that if I walked into a room, I would mistake a video game for reality. That is, until NHL 15 started up. Even for those who not follow every twist and turn of the National Hockey League, the mechanics of NHL 15 make it easy to pick up and play, while rewarding to master. With a variety of customisable control methods and settings, it is possible to determine just how realistic you want your game to be. If you favour all out simulation, every nut and bolt is there; should you prefer a crunching arcade style game reminiscent of EA’s hockey titles on the Sega Megadrive, this too is possible with a few quick tweaks and adjustments. 

 

With the controls at least, it is worth persevering with EA Canada’s most complex yet satisfying version; mastering the use of the two thumbsticks to determine the angle and power of shots can be perplexing at first, especially if you are using a camera angle where the point of view changes and shifts. Stick with it, though, as it offers the best and most nuanced way to play. The satisfaction of cracking in a shot from distance that fools the keeper and causes his Gatorade bottle to come tumbling on to the ice is second to none. Not only has a lot of thought and effort gone into the action that’s being played on the ice, but off the ice too. The crowd animations has been given an AI update, which makes them look a lot more realistic than previous versions of the game and now you’ll see fans smashing on the glass as their favourite (or least favourite) player skates by, while others will jeer the away team players who have been sent to the penalty box. Unfortunately, there’s no team play online this year, but you can still play ranked and unranked matches, as well as playing with your Ultimate Hockey Team which is comprised of all your favourite players.

 

When all is said and done, it may seem as though NHL 15 for the next-gen consoles is a sure win. But those of you who have chosen to go the retro route by sticking to your roots and buying NHL 15 for the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 may have the last laugh. I guess it really comes down to whether you are a casual gamer or a hardcore gamer. Calling all casual gamers: you will love this game! Go buy it! The graphics are insane, the gameplay is phenomenal, and you know no better. It’s an awesome game to showcase the capabilities of next-gen technology. It’s a great game to play with friends and family for fun, money, shots of Patron, or whatever else you find worth competing for. The online mode is also worthwhile and enables you to see how you fare against others around the world.

 

Hockey Ultimate Team, EA Sports' most profitable venture across its entire sports game catalogue, is included but even this mode has reduced functionality. Your goal in HUT is still to build the best team you can, while earning NHL 15 coins and opening player card packs. Fans who played this mode in the past will get a returning bonus, and it's fairly easy to construct a decent team right from the outset. However only two game mode options are available, either an offline game against the AI or an online Seasons game. Gone are the tournaments (online and off), single player Seasons, and you can't even Play a Friend anymore. Menus seem just as slow as those in NHL 14 HUT, and browsing the Auction House for players still takes more time than it should. It's surprising that, given the great financial results that Ultimate Team modes bring to EA, the developers could not produce a complete experience in NHL 15.

 

Where NHL 15 falls apart is its omission of some traditional features. I like playing season mode in most sports games. Taking one team from the beginning to the end of a season is how I prefer to play. NHL 15 makes this much more convoluted than it needs to be. There is no standard season mode. Instead I had to play Be a GM Mode in order to accomplish what I wanted. Also, the online portion has been completely removed, which is baffling. Much like Madden NFL 15, online team play has also been removed. Hockey League is also absent, leaving only standard online matches to play. It is just mind-boggling why EA Sports would omit the best parts about playing online in NHL.